Economy & Finance

Master N3 economy & finance vocabulary in Japanese. Learn essential words for banking, markets, and business with furigana, romaji, and example phrases.

Overview

Turn on any Japanese news broadcast and you will hear words like 景気けいき and 物価ぶっか within minutes. Finance topics come up in newspapers, office meetings, and casual conversation — a coworker grumbling about rising grocery prices, a manager presenting the annual 予算よさん to the team.

Japan's economy ranks among the world's largest, and economic vocabulary crosses naturally into daily life. This list covers banking, taxation, investment, and trade. With these words, you can follow financial news, handle common banking tasks, and take part in workplace budget discussions with confidence.

Essential Words

Basic Economic Terms

経済けいざい

keizai

— economy, economics

景気けいき

keiki

— business conditions, economic climate

物価ぶっか

bukka

— prices (of goods), price level

消費しょうひ

shōhi

— consumption, spending

生産せいさん

seisan

— production, manufacturing

輸出ゆしゅつ

yushutsu

— export

輸入ゆにゅう

yunyū

— import

Money and Banking

預金よきん

yokin

— bank deposit, savings

引き出すひきだす

hikidasu

— to withdraw (money)

振り込むふりこむ

furikomu

— to transfer money (by wire)

利子りし

rishi

— interest (on a loan or deposit)

借金しゃっきん

shakkin

— debt, loan

融資ゆうし

yūshi

— financing, loan (from a bank)

Investment and Markets

投資とうし

tōshi

— investment

株式かぶしき

kabushiki

— stocks, shares

為替かわせ

kawase

— foreign exchange, currency exchange

利益りえき

rieki

— profit, benefit, gain

損失そんしつ

sonshitsu

— loss (financial)

Income and Taxes

収入しゅうにゅう

shūnyū

— income, earnings

税金ぜいきん

zeikin

— tax

給料きゅうりょう

kyūryō

— salary, wages

予算よさん

yosan

— budget

節約せつやく

setsuyaku

— saving money, economy, frugality

Key Phrases

最近さいきん景気けいきがよくなってきましたね。

Saikin keiki ga yoku natte kimashita ne.

The economy has been improving lately, hasn't it?

物価ぶっかが上がりあがり続けているので、節約せつやくしなければなりません。

Bukka ga agari tsuzukete iru node, setsuyaku shinakereba narimasen.

Because prices keep rising, we have to save money.

家賃やちんを大家おおやさんの口座こうざに振り込みふりこみました。

Yachin o ooya-san no kōza ni furikomimashita.

I transferred the rent to the landlord's bank account.

この会社かいしゃの利益りえきは去年きょねんより増えたふえたそうです。

Kono kaisha no rieki wa kyonen yori fueta sō desu.

I heard that this company's profits increased compared to last year.

株式かぶしきに投資とうしするのはリスクがあります。

Kabushiki ni tōshi suru no wa risuku ga arimasu.

Investing in stocks carries risks.

為替かわせ相場そうばが円高えんだかになっています。

Kawase sōba ga endaka ni natte imasu.

The exchange rate has shifted toward a stronger yen.

毎月まいつきの給料きゅうりょうから税金ぜいきんが引かれますひかれます。

Maitsuki no kyūryō kara zeikin ga hikaremasu.

Taxes are deducted from my monthly salary.

今年ことしの予算よさんはもう決まりきまりましたか。

Kotoshi no yosan wa mō kimarimashita ka.

Has this year's budget already been decided?

借金しゃっきんを返すかえすために一生懸命いっしょうけんめい働いてはたらいています。

Shakkin o kaesu tame ni isshōkenmei hataraite imasu.

I am working as hard as I can to pay off my debt.

日本にほんの輸出ゆしゅつは自動車じどうしゃや電子機器でんしききが中心ちゅうしんです。

Nihon no yushutsu wa jidōsha ya denshi kiki ga chūshin desu.

Japan's exports are centered on automobiles and electronic devices.

Cultural Notes

The virtue of 節約せつやく — frugality and careful saving — runs deep in Japanese culture. Many households track every purchase in a detailed budget book called a 家計簿かけいぼ. Stationery shops stock dozens of styles, from plain notebooks to printed spreadsheet formats, which tells you how seriously people take this habit.

Japan's postwar economic miracle turned the country into a global industrial power by the 1970s. Then came the bubble economy of the late 1980s — soaring stock prices, frantic real estate speculation, and a sharp collapse in the early 1990s that left lasting scars. Many Japanese households today still favor safe bank 預金よきん over riskier 株式かぶしき investment, a legacy of that era.

消費税しょうひぜい (consumption tax), raised to 10% in 2019, appears on every receipt and sparks debate at each increase. Cash — 現金げんきん — remains the default in many settings, though IC cards and contactless payment are steadily changing that. This background helps explain why financial vocabulary surfaces so often in Japanese media and daily conversation.

Practice Tips

Read a few Japanese news headlines every day. NHK Web Easy publishes simplified articles that regularly cover economic topics. Seeing these words in real sentences builds retention far faster than drilling a list.

Study antonym pairs together: 輸出ゆしゅつ (export) paired with 輸入ゆにゅう (import), or 利益りえき (profit) against 損失そんしつ (loss). The contrast locks both words in memory at once.

Anchor vocabulary to your own life. What is your monthly 収入しゅうにゅう? How do you feel about 税金ぜいきん? Personal associations outlast abstract definitions. End each session by writing two or three sentences with new words and reading them aloud — a short habit that bridges reading recognition and speaking fluency.